Juan Luis Cano Rodríguez · Ubuntu
Event Report: PyCon Namibia 2026PyCon Namibia, Conference Report
PyCon Namibia 2026
20 to 26 February 2026 · Namibian Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) · Windhoek, Namibia
PyCon Namibia 2026, NIPAM, Windhoek
From the organisers
PyCon Namibia 2026 took place from 20 to 26 February at NIPAM in Windhoek. It marked our twelfth consecutive conference, spanning five days across four venues. The event reached students in Katutura, engaged university learners at Adaire Technology, and brought together over 120 professionals and developers at the main conference.
This report summarises what happened across the week, who was involved, and what the conference covered. We have also included links to the recordings and photo gallery for those who want to see more.
The PyCon Namibia Organising Team
Speakers travelled from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Greece, Uganda, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, India, Czech Republic, Kenya, Angola, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. The conference was organised by volunteers and the Python Software Association of Namibia (PYNAM), keeping registration fees low to ensure access for anyone who wanted to attend.
Programme
The week was structured around four events, each with a distinct audience and purpose.
| Date | Event | Venue | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb | Django Day | NUST | Women and girls |
| 23 Feb | Education Day | Adaire Technology | University students |
| 24 Feb | Education Day | Jakob Marengo Tutorial College | High school pupils |
| 25 to 26 Feb | Main Conference | NIPAM | All attendees |
Django Day, 20 February, NUST
Django Day, Girls Code, hosted by PyLadies Namibia, 20 February 2026
PyLadies Namibia ran a full-day workshop for more than 60 women and girls, focused on building web applications with Python and Django. Sessions covered Django fundamentals, live coding, and mentorship from professional developers. The event was free for all participants, made possible by the support of the Django Day sponsor, Green Enterprise Solutions and NUST.
Education Days, 23 to 24 February
Education Day at Jakob Marengo Tutorial College, Katutura, 24 February 2026
Rather than waiting for students to come to the conference, the organising team brought speakers directly into schools and universities. On 23 February, sessions were held at Adaire Technology, covering open-source software in education, physical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit, Python programming fundamentals, and version control.
On 24 February, the programme moved to Jakob Marengo Tutorial College in Katutura, where high school pupils spent the day on Python basics and hands-on micro:bit workshops. We had learners from Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and schools around Windhoek. Most learners were funded to attend through the conference and with the support of schools and parents.
Main Conference, 25 to 26 February, NIPAM
Main Conference at NIPAM, 25 to 26 February 2026
The two-day main conference ran two tracks in parallel: a talk programme in the main hall and a workshop room for longer, hands-on sessions. Each day closed with lightning talks, short open-floor sessions where any attendee could take the stage.
Technical Topics
Career and Community Topics
Full Schedule
Every session across the five days of PyCon Namibia 2026.
Elise Kasai
workshopDjango Day Workshop
Daniele Procida
talkYour future, starting today
Robson Kanhalelo
talkExploring the adoption and role of open source software in schools
Daniele Procida
workshopPhysical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit
Sheena O'Connell
workshopHow to teach the foundations of Python
Paul Mayero
talkPython Foundations Made Fun with Turtle
Juan Luis Rodríguez
workshopFrom zero to hero with git, GitHub, and remote development environments
Daniele Procida
talkOpening
Benjamin Himes
talkTBC
Paul Mayero
talkPython Foundations Made Fun with Turtle
Daniele Procida
workshopPhysical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit
Daniele Procida
workshopPhysical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit
Elise Kasai
talkWelcome
Sumaiya Nalukwago
talkMastered development but still stuck? The hidden power of soft skills in your codebase.
Azor Hijarunguru
talkFrom Curiosity to Career: My Journey into Data Analytics
Brandon Bande
workshopBuilding for the customer: Serving AI via WhatsApp using Python, Ngrok, Twilio and Gemini API
Benjamin Himes
talkasyncio isn't just typing await
Brayan Kai Mwanyumba
workshopSecuring the Chain of Trust: Building Zero-Trust Python Multi-Agent Systems
Gijs Molenaar
talkFrom Script Kiddie to Spotify: A 30-Year Journey
Paul Mayero
talkBetter Integration Testing with TestContainers
Aaron Muti
workshopHumble Data
Alphons Koruhama
talkEmergency Monitoring Control Room with Python/Django
Saurav Jain
talkYour First Web Scraper: Writing Python Code That Keeps Working
Daniele Procida
workshopPhysical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit
Anyone
lightningLightning Talks
Elise Kasai
talkOpening
Sheena O'Connell
talkPlaying the long game
Chisom Uma
talkAutomate the Boring Stuff: Python Scripts for Technical Writers
Niek Mereu
talkAdvanced Search with ElasticSearch
Saurav Jain
workshopBuild, Deploy, Monetize: From code to cash in 2 hours
Natu Lauchande
talkVibeops: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly with AI assisted coding in Python and Beyond
Samuel Nduw
talkFrom Scoreboard Table to WebSocket Stream with Django
Tinomudaishe Ndhlovu
talkShip Faster, Break Less: Building Django Tests with AI
Juan Luis Rodríguez
workshopFrom zero to hero with git, GitHub, and remote development environments
Robbins Kariseb
talkEvent-Driven Conversations: Building a Scalable Python Messaging Architecture on Top of Matrix.org
Daniele Procida
workshopPhysical computing with Python and BBC micro:bit
Daniele Procida
talkThe programmer's imagination
Anyone
lightningLightning Talks
Attendance and Reach
| Event | Participants |
|---|---|
| Django Day at NUST | 60 women and girls |
| Education Day at Adaire Technology | University students |
| Education Day at Jakob Marengo | High school pupils |
| Main Conference at NIPAM | ~120 registered attendees |
Attendees included software developers, data professionals, researchers, educators, students, and entrepreneurs. Speakers came from 14 countries across Africa, Europe, and beyond.
Recordings and Photos
Written About the Conference
Attendees and speakers wrote about their experience at PyCon Namibia 2026. If you published something, let us know and we will add it here.
Namibia Business Express
Green powers innovation as Django Day Sponsor for PyCon Namibia 2026Sponsors and Partners
PyCon Namibia is a non-profit conference run entirely by volunteers. Every registration fee is kept as low as possible so that anyone who wants to attend can do so. The events you have read about, Django Day, the Education Days, and the main conference, exist because organisations and individuals chose to fund them.
To every sponsor, partner, and individual supporter who contributed to PyCon Namibia 2026: your support made a real difference to real people in Namibia. Thank you.
Individual Supporters
Sandra Ashipala, Andreea Munteanu, Cheuk Ting Ho, Joao Buta, Daniele Procida
Looking Ahead
PyCon Namibia 2027 is in planning. If you would like to attend, speak, volunteer, or discuss sponsorship, please get in touch.
Organised by the Python Software Association of Namibia (BIPA Registered). PyCon is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation.